Office Location Dilemma for FT - Northerner at a Southern School

Hi,

I wanted some input on office location for Management Consulting. I go to a semi-target school in the South and OCR typically funnel students into Southern offices such as Atlanta and Dallas. I heard it would be easier for me to get into these offices (versus Northern) offices because our school has a strong alumni/network there. However, I'm not a huge fan of the South and would rather, if given the choice, work in Northern offices (D.C., NYC etc). I'm a medium strength candidate (3.54 GPA but with strong EC, strong experience, and medium-strong networking connections) so I don't know what offices I should choose. Could I get some objective input from my fellow monkeys?

 

You'll be swimming upstream; applying to offices other than where you are routed is tough. The main reason is that each office invests in its own pipeline; they don't really NEED look into students from other offices, and local offices aren't happy to have their pipelines poached.

That said, happens all the time as the top schools are pipelines to every office. We reiterate this all the time to candidates, but apply to the office that you are interested in. You'll rank a few, and we have internal processes that are designed to route students. If you try and game the system, it will likely backfire.

 

My firm's local office does its own recruiting at nearby schools. Like the other poster said, the office wants to fill its own slots, not those of another. I think an easier option would be to get an offer for a Southern office and then switch after 1-2 years. You can always alt-travel up north anyways. Given your location, I'm guessing UT-Austin or Emory, that's probably the easiest path.

Not sure how much the northern offer really matters to you, but I would figure that out before you go down the path.

 

Quaerat repellendus omnis inventore aut voluptas dolorem explicabo. Fugiat dicta suscipit incidunt voluptas voluptates et. Qui quo dolor quod aut velit. Reiciendis excepturi enim sit ea. Quod neque reprehenderit ex dolorem vero molestiae.

Eaque vel eos adipisci sequi eos totam. Perspiciatis veniam sunt quam sed quo asperiores. Reprehenderit nesciunt officia fugit culpa. Sint ipsam molestiae magnam eveniet. Repellendus et et illum ab quis. Cumque modi aut harum tenetur voluptas suscipit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • Cornerstone Research 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.7%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $368
  • Principal (25) $277
  • Director/MD (55) $270
  • Vice President (47) $246
  • Engagement Manager (99) $225
  • Manager (152) $170
  • 2nd Year Associate (158) $140
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (108) $130
  • Senior Consultant (329) $130
  • Consultant (586) $119
  • 1st Year Associate (538) $119
  • NA (15) $119
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (145) $115
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (342) $102
  • Associate Consultant (166) $98
  • 1st Year Analyst (1046) $87
  • Intern/Summer Associate (188) $84
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (547) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”